Frederick Victor Nanka-Bruce (9 October 1878 – 13 July 1953) was a physician, journalist and politician in the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. He was the third African to practise

orthodox medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

in the colony, after

Benjamin Quartey-Papafio Benjamin William Quarteyquaye Quartey-Papafio, (25 June 1859 – 14 September 1924) was a physician pioneer and politician on the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast - the first Ghanaian people, Ghanaian to obtain the medical degree (Doctor o ...

and

Ernest James Hayford Ernest James Hayford, (23 April 1858, Anomabu – 6 August 1913, London) was a physician and lawyer in the Gold Coast.Michael R. Doortmont, ''The Pen-Pictures of Modern Africans and African Celebrities by Charles Francis Hutchison: A Collectiv ...

Early life and family

Frederick Victor Bruce was the scion of two prominent Ga families; his mother was Christiana Reindorf and his father, Alexander Bruce, was an

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

merchant. The Bruces were from James Town or British Accra, while the Reindorfs were from Danish Accra or Osu. His father was a descendant of a prominent Ga trader named Robert William Wallace Bruce, while his mother was a relative of the

Basel Mission The Basel Mission was a Christian missionary society based in Switzerland. It was active from 1815 to 2001, when it transferred the operative work to , the successor organization of ''Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione'' (KEM), found ...

catechist, later pastor and historian, Carl Christian Reindorf. Bruce appended "Nanka" in honour of his ancestor, Robert William Wallace Bruce, who was also known as Nii Nanka. Nanka-Bruce was educated at the Government School in Accra and at the Wesleyan Boys' High School in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

. After an apprenticeship to a dispenser in Accra, he was a member of the 1900 Kumasi Expedition - besieged in

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

Fort with the Governor, Frederick Hodgson, until the expedition managed to break through the Ashanti lines to the coast."F. V. Nanka-Bruce, O.B.E., M.B., Ch.B.", ''

British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...

'', 1 August 1953, p. 289. In 1901 he travelled to study medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, graduating in 1906 with an MB ChB. He worked at the

London Hospital The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and spe ...

before returning to Accra in 1907.

Political career

Nanka-Bruce built up a private medical practice in Accra, and was a government adviser on

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

. In 1918 he founded ''The Gold Coast Independent'' newspaper. He was elected to the Legislative Council representing the Accra Ratepayers' Association in

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, serving until 1935 and again from

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

to 1950.Michael R. Doortmont, ''The Pen-Pictures of Modern Africans and African Celebrities by Charles Francis Hutchison: A Collective Biography of Elite Society in the Gold Coast Colony'', Brill, 2005, p. 148. In 1950, the Ratepayers' Association became part of the National Democratic Party, with Nanka-Bruce serving as the party's chairman. He was awarded the

O.B.E. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1935. In 1933 he was a co-founder and the first President of the Gold Coast Medical Practitioners Union, and in 1951 a co-founder and first President of the Ghana branch of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

; after Nanka-Bruce's death the two organisations would merge to form the

Ghana Medical Association The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) represents physicians, surgeons and dentists working throughout Ghana. It was established in 1958 and is divided into ten divisions representing each region of Ghana as at the end of 2018. History The earliest ...

. From 1952 to 1953, he served as chairman of the Board of Governors of the

Accra Academy Accra Academy is a Non-denominational Christianity, non-denominational Day School, day and Boarding School, boarding Single-sex education, boys' school. It is located at Bubuashie near Kaneshie in the Greater Accra Region. The school was establishe ...

. His sister Florence, and after her early death another sister Emma, married Thomas Hutton-Mills, Sr. He died 13 July 1953.Doortmont gives the date as 3 July 1951. His descendants still live in Accra and include the Ghanaian disc jockey William Nanka-Bruce.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanka-Bruce, Frederick Victor 1878 births 1953 deaths Ghanaian public health doctors Ghanaian journalists Ghanaian politicians Bruce family of Ghana Ghanaian people of Scottish descent Ga-Adangbe people People of the War of the Golden Stool Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Public health doctors in Gold Coast (British colony) Journalists in Gold Coast (British colony) Politicians from Gold Coast (British colony)